Filipino fishermen say Scarborough Shoal access worsened 10 years after ruling
Filipino fishers near Masinloc say Scarborough Shoal feels farther away than ever, even with a 2016 ruling that rejected Beijing's sweeping claims.
Filipino fishermen in Masinloc, Zambales, have stayed close to shore because Scarborough Shoal has become too dangerous to reach. Boats stay close to shore because crews fear harassment by Chinese vessels.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration issued its South China Sea award on July 12, 2016, and said Scarborough Shoal was a traditional fishing ground shared by several nationalities, including Filipinos, Chinese and Vietnamese fishermen. The tribunal also found that China unlawfully prevented Filipino fishermen from exercising traditional fishing rights there from May 2012 onward. It did not decide sovereignty over the shoal, leaving the territorial dispute unresolved even after the ruling rejected the legal basis for Beijing’s sweeping claims.
In Masinloc, fishermen once tried to go out at night, when Chinese vessels were less likely to be nearby, but many no longer make the trip at all. Two fishermen said they had stayed away from the shoal for years. One said Chinese vessels used water cannon and other tactics to force boats away and even cut anchor lines.
Scarborough Shoal has been under China’s de facto control since a standoff that began on April 8, 2012, after a Philippine aircraft spotted Chinese fishing vessels there. The crisis hardened the shoal into a long-running flashpoint in the South China Sea, a maritime expanse of almost 3.5 million square kilometers and a crucial shipping lane linking the western Pacific with Southeast Asia.
Manila has continued to push back. In 2025, the Philippines protested China’s announcement of a nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal. In June 2026, it protested a floating structure spotted there. Philippine officials said both actions were unlawful and inside the country’s exclusive economic zone.
The latest friction follows a violent episode in October 2023, when China Coast Guard water cannon blasts near Scarborough Shoal injured at least one Filipino and drew condemnation from the United States government. One fisherman has taken work driving a motorized tricycle taxi to make up for income he can no longer count on at sea.
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